The former executive director of Sojourners' Place has been sentenced to seven years in prison for stealing from the transitional housing shelter in Wilmington.

Eric Harris in April pleaded guilty to theft of over $100,000, act of intimidation and second-degree forgery. He was sentenced to 35 years in prison of which he will serve seven followed by probation, according to the Delaware Department of Justice.

Starting in the fall of 2013, Harris began stealing donation checks sent to Sojourners' Place.

He deposited nearly 300 donation checks totaling more than $180,000 in a bank account set up in the charity's name without its authorization, and then withdrew the funds as cash or by charging the account for personal expenses, according to court documents.

The alleged scheme was uncovered by a person associated with Sojourners, which has provided shelter and other services to homeless men and women for nearly 26 years.

The person realized something was wrong when three checks they were expecting from First State Community Action had not come into Sojourners' operating account, according to court records. The person learned the three checks, each for more than $3,500, had been deposited – one in March and the two others in April.

After some digging, court records said the person learned that Harris had created a business account at Citizens Bank using Sojourners's name, but that only Harris had access to it.

Sojourners, a charity providing shelter and other services to homeless men and women, terminated Harris following the discovery. Harris must also pay restitution to the shelter.